Reflections from the Basin

March 26, 2007

Woody Returns

Water began rising last week on the Red River of the North from alongside the banks where its thick icy crust remained fixed, but thawing under atypical temperatures. Yesterday morning we rose to the marriage of temperature with dew point providing an element of mystery and wonderment on how after several heated days the ice remained.

Near ten in the morning, water rising against an nearby upstream dam/falls no doubt contributed to the massive laminar sheets release. Reflecting its power from the solid motion, the sun continued to bake the morning fog. The noise, pops, crashes upon the undulating banks and water soaked trees were fantastic. Any small diameter trees were heard severing by the low velocity high momentum blows.

The motion remained cyclical for twenty four hours. The splintered logs and winter refuse skirted underneath when blocked. With time the river's span was no longer bridged by ice. Random episodes would prompt yet another jam but ephemerally. Four hundred square foot bergs would catch a corner on a flooded tree base issuing an abrupt stop, an audible stress, and followed by a flow rotation sending it again into the mainstream. Throughout the event, I remained curious on the state of the downstream northern frozen-ness of the river.

Canadian geese honked from high altitudes above, birds and bushy tailed tree rats continued to forage without any noticeable respect, this first major sign of non-winter. In returning towards the house after my river's edge inspection I hiked up the hill and was surprised to discover another sign the need to coexist with nature, the return of my nemesis, woody.